A comparative framework for explorative cross-country analysis of factors promoting and inhibiting conspiracy theories

<ns3:p>Conspiracism challenges the foundation of democratic identity building. Conspiracism does not merely represent a specific political ideology but rather a distinct form of identity that promotes a simplistic good-evil dichotomy, undermining a pluralistic view of identities. Our theoretical considerations underpin the major role of political identity in political polarization. Empirical data also prove the major role of (political) identity in polarization. Furthermore, disinformation through conspiracist narratives, particularly prevalent in identity-driven controversies, can be identified as a major factor for mistrust towards democratic institutions. While polarization is not per se incompatible to democracy, conspiracist polarization poses a threat to democratic systems and discourse by a) abusing democracies epistemic indeterminacy and “social anomie”, b) fostering prejudices and authoritarian solutions, and c) limiting the scope for action of democratic systems. We, therefore, identified three main fields of action that look promising when used combined: a) fostering debunking strategies, b) developing democratic resilience, c) facilitating democratic self-efficacy of citizens. We deem those essential in creating a positive, democratic identity. Building on our former theoretical insights, we are developing a comparative framework to observe the role of conspiracy thinking across different European countries. We aim to develop a methodology that not only compares the state of conspiracism across the case countries but also explores the role of the aforementioned, pre-existing, factors–information distribution, systemic factors of democratic resilience, and democratic self-efficacy/political-efficacy–in combatting conspiracy thinking. This framework is a standalone conceptual stance to research the connections between conspiracism and democracy.</ns3:p>